Beer Before Liquor, Never Been Sicker? Distilled Knowledge Debunks the Mysteries of Booze
Parade
By Solana Hawkenson
October 3, 2016
er wake up after a long night, head throbbing, room spinning, wallet missing (maybe along with a few articles of clothing), and wonder, “How did I get here?” You know alcohol had a lot to do with it, but what about the potion caused you to get to that level? You’re likely swearing to avoid becoming intoxicated to the point of near self-destruction again, but will inevitably break your own promise. In Distilled Knowledge: The Science Behind Drinking’s Greatest Myths, Legends, and Unanswered Questions (Abbeville Press), Brian D. Hoefling gives the hard truth behind one of the world’s favorite past times – drinking.
A cocktail historian and instructor, Hoefling breaks it all down, exploring nearly everything from how each alcoholic beverage is made, to how we experience the taste of each drink, to alcohol’s effects on sex and memory, and even why we feel the need to relieve ourselves so often while drinking. Hoefling explains in a way that’s less textbook and more conversational, like taking a lesson from your local bar’s most knowledgeable mixologist.
Debating whether or not to order the more expensive bottle of wine? Go for it, says Hoefling, “Yes expensive booze does taste better–but not for the reasons you might think.” And if you think paying more makes you look like a wine aficionado, so be it, but even professional wine drinkers have off days. Consider “a landmark study that you may find either hilarious or depressing, depending on your perspective, revealed that a group of oenology students couldn’t tell white wine from red when food coloring was added.”
So, now we know our eyes play tricks on us. What about our mind? One of the most interesting sections has to do with the psychological effects of drinking. As Hoefling reveals, “Alcohol renders you subject to something called an expectancy effect. Part of your experience of drinking is what you anticipate it’s going to be like: if you think you’re going to get drunk, you probably will.”
And a while after we’ve been drunk, many of us feel the very real torment of a nasty hangover. We’ve heard the preventative myths and supposed cures, but are any of them true? Hoefling decided that he would finally come up with solid answers for these claims. Does drinking beer before liquor really make you sicker? According to Hoefling, “If there’s a grain of truth to this saying, it probably has to do with drinking speed… It’s possible that we get used to a certain drinking speed over the course of an evening, and when we suddenly switch to something much stronger we fail to adjust our consumption rate, ultimately drinking more and getting ill.”
What about the “hair of the dog” theory? Hoefling presents lists of pros and cons, concluding, “The best case to be made for the hair of the dog is that it puts you back into drinking mode, which most people find preferable to hangover mode.”
Just what exactly is going on in our body that causes such misery in the first place? Hoefling did the research, consulting scientific studies and expert-written literature, and put it all in one easy to follow guide, accompanied by fun infographics by designer Leandro Castelao. There’s also a nifty appendix and glossary of terms to refer to.
Raise a glass, get to your happy place and dive into Distilled Knowledge.